With the White Sox season at a close and some time passed to reflect on the year, it’s time to do a full season recap of what will end up being a disappointing season on the South Side.
With the World Series beginning this week, the Sox found themselves on the outside looking in as the postseason got underway. After making the playoffs for two years in a row, the Sox failed to stretch that streak to three. They finish second in the AL Central at 81-81 behind the division champion Cleveland Guardians and have still never won the division in back-to-back seasons. It was a very frustrating season, to say the least, and the Sox will head into the off-season after an underwhelming 2022 campaign.
We’ll go over all the highs and lows from this season, take a look at players’ final stats, talk about the pending off-season, and count down the top 10 plays/moments from this season. So sit back, relax, and strap it down.
The Highs Of 2022
Let’s start off with the highs – and there is none greater than the breakout from starter Dylan Cease. Cease tossed 184 innings, which ranked 10th in the AL among starters in his team-high 32 games, and he had one complete game in 2022 in his near no-no against the Twins. He finished with 14 wins, and that was the most by any White Sox starter.
Cease’s two best months of the season were June and July. In June he owned a 0.33 ERA over five starts. He threw 27.1 innings in June with 45 strikeouts. In June, Dylan won pitcher of the month for the AL, and this month was highlighted by back-to-back double-digit strikeout performances. On June 21st against Toronto he punched out 11, and on June 26th against Baltimore, he tallied 13 K’s in a win that helped the Sox avoid a series sweep. In July, Cease went 5-1 with a 0.76 ERA in 35.2 innings. He only allowed three earned runs all month.
Johnny Cueto also had a great season – the Sox could have very well finished under .500 if it wasn’t for his efforts. Cueto finished the season with 158.1 innings pitched, a 3.35 ERA, 108 strikeouts, and 18 quality starts. He gave the Sox innings, and he saved the bullpen at times when it mattered the most. Hats off to Johnny for the job he did this year.
Two Cueto games that were huge were the game against Cleveland when he worked deep into the ninth, only needing one more out for a complete game. The second game that stands out in the Cueto tenure is the game against the Houston Astros in August. Cueto worked 8 innings of two-run baseball, then handed it off to Liam in the ninth for the save and a White Sox win. That was a huge win for the Sox back in August because, at the time, the Sox were looking to make a run and win the division. We all know how it turned out in the end, but nonetheless, hats off to Johnny Cueto!
Despite his injury, Eloy Jimenez also had a great year – more specifically, a great second half of the year. Eloy was mainly on DH duty in the second half, slashing .323/.391/.558 with a .949 OPS. We all witnessed one of the best second halves by a White Sox hitter in the last 15 seasons. Out of the 73 hits in the second half, 25 of them were extra base hits. Eloy homered 14 times to go along with 41 RBIs. As mentioned earlier, he hit .325 post-all-star break; the next closest White Sox hitter was AJ Pollock, who hit .265. Certainly, a healthy Eloy Jimenez for a full 162 will be a great sight to see on the South Side in 2023.
The 35-year-old veteran Cuban slugger Jose Abreu continued to do Jose Abreu things this season. He still hit .304. He slugged .446, with a .378 OBP. He did post the lowest home run number in his career with 15. Going into the off-season, Jose Abreu is a free agent, and his future on the team is in question. There is no doubt that he wants to keep playing, but if this is goodbye to the former MVP, his time at 35th and Shields should never be forgotten or taken for granted.
Andrew Vaughn was a high note here in 2022. His sophomore season was not too shabby. Vaughn slashed .271/.321/.429. This is an improvement from his 2021 season in which he slashed .235/.309/.396. Vaughn improved his home run and RBI totals as well. This season he lead the ball club with 17 home runs, and he also led the team in RBIs with 76. Even with Vaughn spending most of his time in the outfield, it did not affect his production at the plate, and that is a welcome sight. If Jose Abreu does not return next season there were be a hole to fill at first base, and it seems as if Andrew Vaughn would step right in and play his natural position.
The Lows Of 2022
Now, the lows of 2022. Boy did this ball club have some low points. We’ll try and touch on all of them.
April 4/8 – 4/30 (8-12)
Let’s start off in April. In April the Sox had back-to-back awful series: one in Cleveland and one in Minnesota. Coming off of a series win against Tampa Bay, the Sox opened the series with an 11-1 loss in Cleveland (4/20). Four errors from the Sox defense and a grand slam from Jose Ramirez put this one out of reach early in the second with Cleveland going ahead 9-0. Dallas Keuchel got tagged for seven earned runs and he did not make it out of the second inning. Dallas said after the game “I’ll take nine singles and a blast. Three hard-hit balls all day.”
Unfortunately, this was not the only disaster that happened this month. Just two days later, the Sox went to Minnesota for a three-game set. On Friday in Minnesota (4/22) the Sox committed an error late in the eighth inning that cost them the game. Then on Saturday (4/23), the Sox lost Eloy Jimenez for 6-8 weeks with an injury. Finally, on Sunday (4/24), the Sox were in a jam in the ninth with closer Liam Hendriks. Facing Byron Buxton in the ninth with a base open Sox decided to pitch to him, and Buxton proceeded to end the game with a walk-off homer. The Sox had a rough end to April, as they ended the month 8-12.
May 5/1 – 5/31 (15-12)
The month of May started off strong for the ball club. The Sox raddled off six straight wins, but then disaster struck in the series opener against Cleveland. The Sox lost 12-9 against Cleveland in an utter collapse (5/9). With only three outs left to get, Cleveland hung a six spot on the scoreboard and shocked the Sox. The Guardians made baseball history that night with Josh Naylor becoming the first player in MLB history to hit two homers of three or more RBIs in the ninth inning or later. Josh Naylor hit a grand slam off of Liam Hendriks to tie the game in the ninth. Then in the eleventh, Naylor hit a three-run shot to give the Guardians the lead and a victory. The rest of May for the Sox was up and down. They then went to the Bronx and lost a series with the Yankees benches cleared in the process, and eventually, they finished the month above .500 at 15-12.
June 6/1 – 6/29 (12-15)
June was another wacky month for the ball club. This was the month that former manager Tony La Russa issued his first of two 1-2 intentional walks. Against the Dodgers (6/9), Tony La Russa elected to intentionally walk Trea Turner on a 1-2 count with two outs. He chose the lefty-lefty matchup with Max Muncy who was on deck. After the game, Tony seemed puzzled to say the least when asked about it by the media, saying “Let me ask you a question? Do you know what he hits against left-handed pitching? Is that really a question because it’s 1-2.” and also added, “If someone disagrees that the beauty of the game.”
July 6/1-6/31 (16-11)
July was an all-around better month record-wise, as the club finished above .500. This would be the second time in 2022 they finish a month at .500. But just like all the other months, July had its share of points that just make you scratch your head as a fan. The biggest moment: the 8-5 triple play against the Twins, the first of its kind in baseball history (6/4). It was a rally killer, and a game killer as well. At the time the Sox were trying to get back in the division race, and these games against the Twins were crucial in doing so. Sox went on to lose the series and went on to split the next one against the Tigers. Throughout the season when the time came to step up against the division the Sox just did not step up. There really is not any other way to say it.
August 8/1 – 8/31 (13-16)
The Sox went on a five-game winning streak in the month of August, but this month is greatly known for Tony La Russa’s second 1-2 walk of the season (8/19), and the series that the Sox not only lost but got swept against the Arizona Diamondbacks (8/26-8/28). The Diamondbacks series was the last series that Tony La Russa would manage, as he did not return due to medical conditions. I personally wish Tony well, but his moves as a manager cannot be ignored in the overall grand scheme of what went wrong this season.
September (14-13) – October (3-2)
Miguel Cairo took over managerial duties from September to the end of the season. He did fairly well – well enough to earn a job interview for manager from Rick Hahn. The biggest down point this month has to be the eight-game losing streak (9/20-9/28). The Sox had high hopes as they fought their way back to find themselves in a spot to win the division. Then in the series opener against Cleveland, all hope was lost after the Sox lost 10-7. That began an eight-game skid, and after that, it was all she wrote for the season. The nail was in the coffin and the writing was on the wall. Now we find ourselves here in the off-season.
Top 10 Plays/Moments From 2022
10. White Sox Late Night Comeback In Oakland
9. Johnny Cueto’s Stellar White Sox Debut
8. Yo Knows Clutch Back-to-Back Nights
7. Eloy Jimenez Returns In A Big Way
6. Cease Punches Out 11 Against the Halos
5. Josh Harrison With A Defensive Clinic
4. Johnny Cueto Dazzles In August
3. Kopech Dominates The Yankees & Dodgers
2. Tim Anderson Quiets Yankee Stadium
1. Dylan Cease Near No-No
Think we missed any feel free to let me know! Be sure to follow SoxOn35th on all social media for off-season news and updates!
Featured Image: David Richard-USA TODAY Sports
